U.S. Imposes Sanctions on 10 More Venezuelan Officials
Other officials included on the sanctions list on Thursday included Elvis Eduardo Hidrobo Amoroso, the second vice president of the Constituent Assembly; Julián Isaías Rodríguez Diaz, Venezuela’s ambassador to Italy
and former second vice president of the Constituent Assembly; Ernesto Emilio Villegas Poljak, Venezuela’s newly appointed culture minister and a former communication and information minister; and Freddy Alirio Bernal Rosales, minister of urban agriculture.
They join a growing list of former and current Venezuelan officials who have been sanctioned by the American government, most notably President Maduro, who was added on July 31, a day after he engineered elections for an all-powerful National Constituent Assembly, a move
that compelled the Trump administration to label Mr. Maduro "a dictator." Please verify you’re not a robot by clicking the box.
9, 2017
CARACAS, Venezuela — The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions against 10 more Venezuelan officials, including members of the country’s election commission
and several government ministers, accusing them of undermining democracy through their use of corruption and censorship in support of President Nicolás Maduro’s tightening grip on power.
"We will maintain our vigorous efforts to sanction Venezuelan government officials who are complicit in Maduro’s attempts to undermine democracy, violate human rights,
inhibit the freedom of expression or peaceful assembly, or engage in public corruption, unless they break from Maduro’s dictatorial regime," Mr. Mnuchin added.
Treasury said that As the Venezuelan government continues to disregard the will of its people, our message remains clear: the
United States will not stand aside while the Maduro regime continues to destroy democratic order and prosperity in Venezuela,
The Trump administration has also sanctioned eight members of the Venezuelan Supreme Court for their efforts to obstruct the National Assembly, the legislative body controlled by the opposition,
and Vice President Tareck El Aissami, whom American authorities have accused of narcotics trafficking.